mostly bears...

 because i know everyone loves bears!! JB at the Wildlife Conservation Center.  such a handsome guy

 barely slept at all last night and can't believe i have my eyes open still, but i seem to be doing ok for the moment.

 looked decent out so i figured i'd head towards Portage at least.  Rio was in so i always have to adjust plans so she can join us and be happy.

 it was sunny in Anchorage but in the distance i could see that Portage was looking a bit wet, i was hungry so i stopped in Girdwood, not really knowing what i was going to do....i think that was the lack of sleep.  grabbed a sandwich and ate at the bottom of the ski hills.

 then i walked a ways with the dogs.  not all the way to the top.  was happy i turned back as Rio looked pretty sore coming down the hill.  it's a fairly good incline.

 have wanted to do this trail up so at least now i know where to go and what it will be like i think more.

 not too busy up there today.  sun was out though so that was nice.

 the dogs and I needed to stretch our legs anyway.  always have to be flexible on the plans.  at least in Turnigan arm you can watch the weather and make some decisions.

 it looked less daunting down at Portage so i figured i hadn't been to the conservation center for a bit.  my gut wasn't in top form so i really wasn't keen on being in the back country.  no problems...but figured i'd rather just have a chill day today.  stuff to do to get ready for tomorrows envelope stuffing gathering.

 probably be more social than work, but i figure if it goes well, i can more easily get a group for the next work party.  :-)  there is no reason why volunteer work can't be a little fun.  not feeling overly organized, but I'm not sure i ever am.  will pick up snacks tomorrow and see how it goes.

 attempted to start my lawn mower about 20 times this morning and then gave up and drove away. at least i got the dog poop picked up.

 the elk are slated to get released back into the wild next year.  i really had no idea that this was in their future.  good for them.  it appears they will be placed on an island in the Aleutians.  sadly, they can't be transported preggers so the males are separated.

 they were doing a lot of sad and mournful calls.  kinda cool to listen to them for awhile.  be gentle on those elk out there, they are going to be a bit edgy i suspect this fall.

 thought this guy had a nice rear end...

 this guy was standing with a full reflection...i tried but i couldn't get out of my car quickly enough to catch a better reflection..drat!!

 watched the new seasons episodes of "the Big Bang".  can't say i like Penny with the short hair.  not Kacey Couco's best look.  perhaps Sheldon and i will adapt...or she'll grow it back out a bit. it was a nice break from cleaning and errands though.

 back to bears.

 they have a walkway and on one side are the Brown bears and the other the Black bears.  not sure what the two types of bears think of each other. mostly i think the browns were jealous as the blackies got fed first.

 once they heard the 4 wheeler headed over they all made their way to their feeding area.

 nice to get pics of the 3 brownies from a different vantage point.

 they should all be here..JB above and the other two, whose names escape me, below.

 nap time while waiting for dinner.

 my timing worked out great and the weather held.

 as i drove back i was lucky and stopped to watch a few swans just outside of Girdwood.  saw about 6 of them at Potters but they were pretty far off.

 quite a few tourists still hitting Alaska.  they have heard of lower rates, less bugs and the beautiful fall colors perhaps?

 places to stay can be a bit tough as many places close. i suppose over the years these will remain open later and later as long as there is business.

 it was nice as JB was up really at eye level to the walkway.

 of course, i wondered how the Bison and Elk who were near this enclosure felt about being so close to a bear...and as they are being released shouldn't they be concerned or helped to realize they should be concerned.  that first wild bear sighting after their release could be a real eye opener.  animals are pretty smart though so i suppose they will figure it out pretty quick.

 cute of him scratching an itch.

 he's quite flexible.  he's really a big bear.  hard to tell in these shots but when he does amble next to those other bears, his size is more clear.

 8 calls at my place.  i would hope if they are for WARIS someone would leave a message...more likely they are related to the upcoming elections.  they are learning to work around no call stuff and caller id.  i just screen all calls on the home phone if it doesn't say a known name on caller id.

 some reporter quit on the news last night after dropping the F-Bomb and announcing that she is the owner of a medical marijuana shop and is pursuing legalizing it.  she'd kept that hidden.  her prank seems to have gotten her donations, but one wonders if there could be repercussions from her employers at the television station.

 foot prints in the mud...which is quite silty...as mud is in Alaska.

 3 Afghan soldiers were in the US for training and are missing in Massachusetts...that is a bit frightening.  are they just getting out of the mess or are they fighters for a terrorist group?  not sure the statement that there is no indication that they pose a risk is very comforting.  i have a brother in Boston.

 have been happy that the US will once again work on it's space program. i've always been fascinated by the space program...what kid wasn't.  of course, i remember doing reports in school as early as Jr High and noting that everything cool that gets invented by science seems to quickly become used as a tool for war.

 scattered a few of the resident black bears in here as well.

 even though Russia isn't involved in a ground war in Ukraine they are apparently holding funerals for servicemen who have died in the battles on the ground in Ukraine..in this new world secrets are much harder to keep.  i don't bother trying.

 power to the people!!

 liked the black and whites of the bears...i'm just a fan of black and white...always looks so cool

 this other blackie finally made her way over to where the food was being served.  she does look fairly well fed so not in a big rush.

 liked her coming through this grass though.

 see through.

 and she emerges.

 in these weeks parade...an old favorite tv show was mentioned...Gilligans Island.  we watched a lot of this show back in the day. apparently in the opening credits the is a flag at half mast....the show was filmed very soon after the assassination of JFK.

 have had these tiny flies in the house now that it's getting colder outside.  i used to be pretty good at swatting those flies.  of course, they were much bigger in California in the summers.  i recall my brothers and i making a bit of a competition of fly swatting at the beach house in Laguna. if i recall correctly, my brother Tom was the best fly swatter.

another day wasted...i need to get back to work more on the WARIS stuff, i think in a way we are in a bit of a holding pattern.  in october i can apply for our business license and hopefully soon our blessing will arrive from the IRS.  fingers crossed.  do want to get these mailings out there and see what that does.
thankful for's for the day... A.  new views of my bears B.  a new season of Big Bang, they are all ovepaid for what they do, but it still makes me laugh C. a relaxing day with my pups